Hello readers! Here is yet another Ouran High School Host Club fic! The pairing for this one is MoriXHaruhi, which is new to me, but I like the way it turned out. I hope you enjoy it as well! I'm completely open to criticism, so please feel free to make suggestions on what I should change and how I can make this better. I live to please! Please review! I really do want to know what you think. And the sooner you review, the sooner I update! :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. All the lovely characters belong to the just as lovely creators :)

"There's Haruhi!" the twins yelled, pointing at the figure approaching their group.

The final bell rang, echoing through the halls, which were, for the most part, empty. The few students, who still lingered in the halls, shouldered their bags and began their journey home. In the south hall, a large group of girls flocked out of the third music room, many of them waving over their shoulder and calling out farewells to the group of students who remained inside. They giggled over the day's happenings, their cheeks still flushed from their meetings with their favorite host. It wasn't until the last girl turned the corner and was out of sight that the music room's doors were finally pulled shut.

Haruhi ran her fingers through her short, brown hair and sighed. She trudged over to one of the plush couches and slumped onto the cushions. "Is it just me, or was it more hectic than usual today?" she asked in an exhausted voice. Hikaru and Kaoru plopped down onto the couch as well, sitting on either side of Haruhi. They put their arms around her shoulders.

"Yeah, it definitely felt like we had more customers than usual today," Hikaru agreed.

"I'm so worn out," Kaoru added. "I can't wait to go home so I can just curl up in bed and take a nap." He rested his head on Haruhi's shoulder. "Actually, I think I might just be able to fall asleep right here."

Hikaru grinned, catching onto his brother's game. He feigned a yawn and then laid his head in Haruhi's lap. "Kaoru's right. You're so comfortable, Haruhi. You wouldn't mind if we just rested our eyes for a little bit, would you?"

"Yes she would!" Tamaki suddenly yelled. "Haruhi would mind very much! Now, you two perverted doppelgangers better get off of her right now, or you'll have to face the wrath of her father!"

"We can't hear you…" Kaoru said in a singsong voice. He closed his eyes and began to fake snore, snuggling closer to Haruhi.

"We're sleeping…" Hikaru said, finishing his brother's sentence before he too began to pretend to sleep.

"Dammit! I demand that you move away from my precious Haruhi this instant!" Tamaki said, his voice getting louder. "If you don't, I'll-" Tamaki was silenced in the middle of his sentence by a large hand being clapped over his mouth. Tamaki raised his bright, periwinkle eyes to see who had quieted him. His eyes met Mori's onyx ones.

"Mitsukuni is sleeping," he said, gently turning Tamaki around so that he could see Honey sleeping soundly on one of the couches with Usa-chan clutched against his chest.

Tamaki's eyes widened and he nodded, signaling his understanding. When Mori released him, Tamaki turned to his tall friend. "Sorry, Mori-Senpai," he said, offering him a small smile. "I didn't realize that he had fallen asleep. I guess this day took a lot out of everyone."

"We should all head home then," Kyoya said as he shut his laptop and slipped it into his schoolbag. "I'm sure we all have things that need to be done at home anyway."

Haruhi pushed Hikaru and Kaoru off of her and stood up. "Kyoya-Senpai is right. I still have chores that need to be done, and I have to cook dinner for Dad, and I have all of my homework to do."

"Oh Haruhi! It's not fair that you are burdened with so many responsibilities!" Tamaki cried out dramatically. "Would you like me to come home with you and assist you?"

"No thanks, Tamaki-Senpai," Haruhi replied coolly, grabbing her schoolbag and throwing it over her shoulder. "I'd much rather do everything on my own." She stepped out of the music room after saying goodbye to the other club members and started heading for home. As she was turning out of the school gates, she noticed someone out of the corner of her eyes. When she turned around to get a better look, she was surprised to see that it was Mori.

He was carrying Honey on his back as if the blonde were a child getting a piggy-back ride. Haruhi could see that Honey was still asleep. In addition to holding onto Honey, Mori was also holding his and Honey's schoolbags. Haruhi couldn't help but feel bad that Mori was trying to juggle so many things at once, and rushed over to help him. She grabbed the schoolbags out of his hands and smiled at him.

"Haruhi…" Mori said as a shocked look came across his face. At the same time though, he looked relieved to have a little less to carry. He hoisted Honey slightly, for the small boy had started to slip. "Thank you." He reached out his hand to take the bags back, but Haruhi shook her head.

"You've got your hands full with Honey-Senpai," she said. "I don't mind carrying your bags." Her chocolate brown eyes sparkled as she grinned. "Now, which way are we going?"

Since Mori was never the type of person to argue with others and, as much as he didn't care to admit it, he did need Haruhi's help, he simply said, "Follow me," and began walking again.

Haruhi followed behind him, quickening her pace in order to keep up with his long strides. As they walked, Haruhi could hear faint snores coming from Honey. She couldn't help but feel a little sad that his snores were the only sound between her and Mori. She tried to take interest in the beautiful spring weather to get her mind off the silence, but it didn't work. She felt a little awkward and racked her brain for something to say.

"I'm sorry for taking you away from your chores at home," Mori said suddenly in a soft voice. "I hope your father won't be angry with you."

Haruhi shook her head. "Of course not," she said. "He'll understand if I explain why I'm a little late. You have nothing to apologize for, Senpai." The two of them fell into silence again, and Haruhi felt as if it were her turn to start a conversation. She looked around, trying to find something that would inspire an interesting conversation topic. She couldn't think of anything that she and Mori might have in common, so she needed different ideas. She glanced back at Mori as he adjusted Honey once again to prevent him from falling. She smiled at the sight of the blonde boy, who had managed to stay asleep during the whole walk. Suddenly, she started to giggle and quickly covered her mouth so she wouldn't wake Honey.

Mori looked over at Haruhi with raised eyebrows. He had no idea what had caused her sudden outburst and, for a second, he wondered if he should be concerned. He noticed tears filling her eyes as her giggles started to die down. He watched her wipe her eyes with her index finger and she took a deep breath to calm herself down. A few small, pearly tears clung to her long eyelashes.

"I'm sorry for that," Haruhi said once she got herself under control again. "I didn't wake Honey-Senpai, did I?"

Mori shook his head. "It's not as easy to wake him up as you may think," he replied. While it was true that Honey was terribly when woken up, he was also a very heavy sleeper. Mori knew that there was no way Haruhi's soft laughter would have woken his cousin.

"Well that's good," she said, a relieved smile spreading across her face. "I just noticed that, somehow, Honey-Senpai is still holding onto Usa-chan as he sleeps. It's just such a childish action that it made me laugh. It seems that after all this time, I'm still not completely used to Honey's child-like behavior."

Mori smiled. "Sometimes it's hard for even me to remember that Mitsukuni is more than capable of taking care of himself."

"The friendship between the two of you really is beautiful, Mori-Senpai. I can see how much Honey-Senpai means to you just by the look in your eyes. And, no offence, but I really enjoy it because we don't see those kinds of expressions from you very often."

"I'm lucky to have Mitsukuni by my side," Mori said, his cheeks flushing slightly. He wasn't really used to so much attention being focused on him, despite being a member of the Host Club, so he couldn't help but feel a little flustered.

"And I'm sure Honey-Senpai knows that he is very lucky to have you too." She beamed at him.

The two of them only continued walking for a few more minutes before Mori pointed to a large house in front of them and said, "We're here."

Haruhi looked up from the sidewalk and took in the mansion before her. "Wow…" she said breathlessly. "This is your house, Mori-Senpai?"

Mori shook his head. "Mitsukuni's." He hoisted the boy for a third time and then led the way to the house. He opened the front door, being careful not to drop Honey. They entered the living room and Mori gently laid the blonde teen on one of the couches that furnished the room. "Thank you for your help," he said, taking his and Honey's schoolbags from Haruhi. He walked her to the doorway of the house, where they said their good-byes. Mori watched her walk away until she disappeared from her sight. He closed the front door with a sigh and then returned to the living room. "She's gone," he said as he took a seat on a loveseat beside the couch Honey was on. "You don't have to pretend to be asleep anymore, Mitsukuni."

Honey raised his head and looked up at his cousin with a sheepish smile. He sat up and his feet dangled over the edge of the couch. Usa-chan was lazily lying across his lap. "How did you know I wasn't asleep?" Honey asked, his wide eyes filled with curiosity and amusement.

Mori shrugged. "I could feel the change in your breathing while I was carrying you," he replied, as if the answer was obvious. "You woke up shortly after Haruhi joined me."

Honey nodded, clearly impressed with Mori's attention to detail. "You know me too well, Takashi." He hopped off the couch and made his way into the kitchen, leaving Mori alone in the living room for a moment. When he returned, he was carrying a plate of cookies and a glass of milk. He placed his treats on the coffee table in front of him, and then sat back down on the couch. "Takashi, why were you so quiet when you were walking with Haru-chan?"

Mori sighed and rubbed his temples. "Is that what all of this is about?" he asked, exhaustion sounding in his voice.

"You're never that quiet when it's just you and me," Honey pressed, taking a bite out of a sugar cookie. "But, whenever you're around Haru-chan, you barely say a word."

"You and Haruhi are very different," Mori responded. He didn't look at Honey. Instead, he stared at the champagne colored carpet under his feet. How could he possibly explain to Honey that he always found himself to be speechless whenever he was close to Haruhi? He felt terribly cliché and weak by admitting that he was constantly left breathless by how beautiful, down-to-earth, and wonderful he thought Haruhi was. He couldn't help but feel nervous around the small brunette, which was so out of character for him, that he didn't know what to do with himself. Mori had never thought of himself as a shy person, but that all changed when he met Haruhi. No one had ever made him feel the way she did.

"Haru-chan said something about only seeing a certain loving look in your eyes when you talk about me," Honey said. His voice had lost its playful tone, and he now sounded very serious. "But that's because Haru-chan has never been around when you talk about her."

Mori bit his bottom lip and closed his eyes. Of course Honey would notice something like that. No one knew him better than Honey, therefore, only he would have been able to still see the emotions that Mori tried so hard to hide. When the blonde didn't say anything else, Mori stood up. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said, and then he started to walk out of the living room.

"Don't play the silent guy act on me!" Honey yelled, jumping off the couch. He caught up to Mori and grabbed the taller man's arm. "I'm the one person you can't just walk away from. I'm just trying to help you, Takashi. Why won't you talk to me?"

Mori's shoulders slumped in defeat. He turned to face Honey and crouched down so that they were eye-level. "I'm sorry, Mitsukuni," he said. "But I can recognize lost causes when I see one. Tamaki is in love with Haruhi, and I believe that Haruhi loves him too. She just hasn't figured it out yet." He sighed sadly. "I'm not trying to play the tragic character. I just want her to be happy."

"Takashi…" Honey said in a quiet voice. Tears were starting to fill his large, brown eyes.

Mori used his thumb to wipe away Honey's tears. "I don't want you to feel sorry for me," he said. "I also don't want you interfering with Tamaki and Haruhi's love. Do you understand me?" When Honey nodded, Mori patted his head. "Good. Oh, and Mitsukuni, can you do me one other favor?"

"Of course," Honey replied, giving his cousin a small smile.

"Don't try and force me to talk about Haruhi again," he said. "I can guarantee that there will come a day where I'm going to need to talk to you about her. But today is not that day. Alright?"

Honey's eyes welled up again and he threw his arms around Mori's neck, embracing him. "I promise, Takashi!" he cried. "I'm sorry!"

Mori soothingly rubbed the blonde boy's back, trying to calm him down. A few small tears slipped from his eyes and slid down his tan cheeks. Mori quickly wiped them away, so Honey didn't see them and bit his lip to prevent any more from falling.

The End

Once again, thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed!

-Mew Painappuru